Tag Archives: Healthy

My initial reaction was, “gross… I have to try these!” And when I did, they were surprisingly fudgy and delicious!

I have mentioned before how I have an addiction to chocolate. I’m not kidding… chocolate addiction is very real and very serious, kids. Indulge responsibly. I’m on the road to recovery, but after Valentine’s, I had a pretty big relapse. I’ve been clean for about 45 minutes. I’m confessing this to you because I want you to know that you’re not alone. You can get help. These brownies can help you. They’re packed with healthy fats and antioxidants.

I think it’s important to note here that fat contains 9 calories to the gram (compared to carbs being only 4 calories per gram), so if you’re counting calories, these don’t really help you. BUT, I want to reiterate the importance of the CONTENT of those calories. For example, you can eat one regular-sized cookie or you can eat 4 cups of broccoli. Same calories. But your body responds entirely different based on what you are putting inside. So these brownies are an improvement, but you should still practice self-control. 😉

Okay, back to the important stuff. These brownies are full of healthy fats and contain more nutrition than the empty calories of normal brownies. Most people who tried them loved them! …with the exception of one 10-year-old boy who thought they were an abominable lie against everything pure and good. So, 14 out of 15 people enjoyed them. Not bad odds if you ask me. A lot better than Grape Nuts, and they’re still in business!

I made these two or three times and tweaked the recipe a tad. The original recipe post from the Frugal Mom has really great pictures where you can see the fudgy richness and everything. Here’s the link if you want to check it out.

The only reason I made changes was that I didn’t have coconut flour. I also felt that the frosting needed more honey and cocoa powder. I added some salt because salt really helps to round out the flavors in baked goods. And I doubled the vanilla because, well, I always do that. 😉

TIPS: Make sure your avocados are pretty soft. If they are too firm, they won’t have as much fudginess (which is the most important thing in a brownie if you ask me). If you don’t like fudgy brownies and want them more cake-like, add another egg to the batter (this also works for box mixes and cookies). Secondly, make sure you let them cool all the way. If you get too impatient like I did, you will burn your mouth.

I hope you get the chance to make these! They really are yummy! Let me know what you think! Comment and share!

I’ve been cooped up at home with mono for the
past three days, so with all that free time,
I’ve cooked up quite a few recipes I’m excited
to share (avocado brownies being my favorite)!!!

But today I’m sharing homemade hummus! I love hummus with pita chips or celery sticks and carrots. It’s a great healthy snack and a tasty addition to a salad! There are all different kinds of hummus flavors that I like, but I went with Roasted Red Pepper. I think next time I’ll have to do a garlic lime hummus or taco spices maybe. It’s really easy to put your own spin on this recipe with whatever spices and flavors you want to use.

I started with two cans of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), one jar of roasted red peppers, and some olive oil. I had that in the food processor ready to blend, then I started to get creative. I had about half a cup of sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil in the fridge. That when in. Then a couple teaspoons of garlic. Half a cup of lemon juice. Then I decided to turn up the heat. So, I tossed in a jalapeño pepper and two heaping tablespoons of cayenne. Some salt and pepper to taste, and it was done!

I love to cook this way. For something like hummus, you don’t need a recipe. You can be spontaneous and imaginative and just get completely carried away with flavors. The important things are chickpeas and olive oil (and in my opinion garlic), but after that, it’s your recipe!

I’m giving you the recipe for my hummus, but I hope you use it as more of a guide to creating whatever you want with the things you already have in your fridge! That’s what makes it fun!

The frost is almost upon us! That means it’s time to harvest the herbs!

I work at The Celtic Cup Coffee House in the small town of Tullahoma, Tennessee. I don’t have my own herb garden, but The Celtic Cup does. I love getting to use the fresh herbs when I bake quiches, casseroles, and savory scones.

Today I harvested all the basil for the winter months. If you’ve never processed herbs before, you probably think it’s really complicated. At least, that’s what I used to think. I know there are a couple different ways to do it. Drying herbs actually does take a while, so I prefer freezing them. I think it preserves the flavors better, too. It’s really a lot easier and faster than I imagined. All you have to do is snip the entire plant, wash, pluck the leaves, and freeze on a towel-lined sheet pan. After about half an hour, the leaves should be stiff enough to store in a plastic freezer bag for the winter. It’s that simple!

While we’re on the subject of basil, last week I made some delicious parmesan baked tomatoes. I love how all the local markets are just bursting with fresh fruits and veggies from the garden this time of year. I bought some beautiful plump red tomatoes and thought I would get creative. All they needed was some leftover basil pesto and a hearty sprinkle of cheese. Voila! Parmesan baked tomatoes! So fast and simple, but delicious and comforting. They taste like pizza! You can make them as a side dish or just a healthy snack.

I’m not religiously gluten free or anything, but I think I feel better when I stay away from bread. So, to accompany the tomatoes, I baked some chicken and made fresh broccoli salad. This broccoli salad was at my friend’s wedding last weekend. It was so good I had to make it for myself.

Together it was the perfect guilt free/gluten free dinner! It only takes about 30 minutes to make, so I hope this meal will find it’s way into your week as a tasty and stress free option!

This is my initiation post, so I thought it would be fitting to share a couple of things about myself. First of all, I really like eating healthy. I love working out and running and eating well because it makes me feel good. Second, I REALLY love chocolate. EspeciallyDARKchocolate. Almost anything with chocolate in it is irresistible to me. I think most of my teeth are sweet teeth.

You may think these two loves are contradictory. For a long time, I did too. But do they have to be??? I’ve recently been learning a lot about nutrition from my boyfriend, Tim. He’s a personal trainer who is way more committed to eating healthy than any sane person should be. But, he showed me that one of the keys to a healthy diet is making sure you get enough of the “good” fats. WHAAAAAAT??? There are good fats!?!? Good fats are like a fun little diet cheat code. There are even some diets that require you to eat a tablespoon of oil twice a day… it’s pretty gross, don’t try it. Anyway, healthy fat is found in things like avocados, coconut oil, olives, and nuts. I think fat gets a bad rap because of it’s unfortunate name. But, contrary to popular belief, fat doesn’t make you fat! When used in moderation, it can actually aid in weight loss! Maybe we should rename it “phat” so people will think it’s cool again. Really the only two things you need to be cautious about is making sure it’s the right kind of fat (not the grease dripping off your pizza, unfortunately), and to regulate the amount (because it is calorie dense, but still crucial to a healthy diet).

So, one day I remembered this recipe from my good friend, Mr. Fleisher. Back when I was in college, he would make me this heavenly freezer chocolate. The only ingredients are coconut oil, cocoa powder (antioxidants), and a little bit of honey! It occurred to me… that fits my macros! It’s a great way to get healthy fat in my diet AND curb my abundant chocolate cravings!

It’s a super simple recipe with just 4 ingredients that you probably already have. Plus, it’s easy to adjust amounts because it works off ratios! People are always saying “try this recipe, it’s THE BEST.” But they just say that. THIS ONE REALLY IS THE BEST! If you like chocolate, you have to try it. That is all. If you don’t try it, it really doesn’t affect me. But I just always have this in my freezer and I think it could easily be a staple for your family too. 🙂

Between my brother and me, chocolate doesn’t last long at our house.

Before I give you the map to paradise (aka, the recipe), just a few things. You can easily change the sweetness by adjusting the honey. It won’t effect the chocolate setting up. If you like it dark, add less honey. If you don’t like bitter chocolate, add more! — it’s that simple.

I usually make a 1-1-0.25 ratio of coconut oil, cocoa powder, and honey. That is sweet enough for most dark chocolate lovers. However, I believe the original recipe was a 1-1-1 ratio (very sweet). If you aren’t sure where you fall, I would recommend making a smallish amount the first time for a taste test.

The second thing is that you can get creative with the flavorings! It’s fun to add sliced almonds or chopped pecans, and you don’t have to use boring old vanilla. If you want to get really crazy, there are a plethora of flavors to choose from! Orange, Baileys, Jack, caramel… just use your imagination.

Finally, I would LOVE to see someone try this recipe in a cute little mold! Someday I’m going to grow up, get fancy, and invest in some nice molds, but for now I’ll eat chocolate no matter what shape it’s in. However, if you are one of those “Pinterest Perfect” people that I envy, PLEASE send a picture or leave a comment of the mold you use! I know you’ll enjoy this recipe as much as I have!

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Jesus said, "Feed my sheep." John 21:17

I am an ordinary woman with an extraordinary God! Each day I try to combine two of my loves ... spending time with my Lord Jesus Christ and cooking ordinary to extraordinary meals for my family. Together I provide food for our bodies and the Word of God to feed our souls.

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